New England 20 Miami 24: No heroics from Brady as Phins deny Patriots division title

When Tom Brady's day ended with an errant final pass, he hung his head, unsnapped his chin strap and looked up at the scoreboard, which summarized his frustrating afternoon.

A late drive and the Patriots' latest comeback bid came up short, and they missed a chance to clinch their fifth consecutive AFC East title.

Brady was intercepted in the end zone on fourth down with 2 seconds left by Dolphins newcomer Michael Thomas. That was the last in a series of squandered scoring chances for the Patriots (10-4), and a miffed Brady answered only two questions at his postgame news conference before ending the session.

'We didn't do a good job in the red area, and didn't do a good job finishing drives,' he said. 'We came up on the short end of the stick. It wasn't a good day. Just couldn't make enough plays.'

Delight: The Miami Dolphins beat their AFC East rivals New England at Sun Life Stadium

The Dolphins (8-6) won their third
game in a row to help their AFC wild-card chances, and snapped a streak
of seven consecutive losses to the Patriots.

'We were short in every area,' New England coach Bill Belichick said. 'Nothing was really good enough.'

Brady threw for 364 yards, but drives of 16, 15 and 13 plays produced a total of only six points.

The
last drive came in the final 1:15, when Brady led the Patriots from
their own 20 to the Miami 14. It was familiar stuff from the Patriots,
who had mounted second-half rallies to win their past three games.

With
New England out of timeouts, Brady threw for the end zone four times in
a row. The first three passes went incomplete, including one intended
for Danny Amendola that Thomas broke up on first down.

Then,
Thomas stepped in front of Austin Collie to make his interception. The
reserve safety, signed Tuesday off the San Francisco 49ers' practice
squad, was making his NFL debut.

'I
knew being the new guy that Tom Brady would come after me,' Thomas
said. 'He's a great quarterback, and he's going to exploit any
weaknesses. I knew if I got in there, I would have a chance. I saw the
ball in the air and I made a play.'

Thomas was part of an injury-depleted secondary that also included backups at both cornerback spots on the final drive.

Brady
went 34 for 55 and threw two scores. Julian Edelman made 13 catches for
139 yards, and Amendola added 10 receptions for 131 yards.

New
England took a 20-17 lead when Edelman scored on a 24-yard reception
with four minutes left, but the Dolphins caught a break when the ensuing
kickoff by Stephen Gostkowski went out of bounds, allowing them to
start at their 40.

Charles
Clay kept the drive going when he turned a short pass into a 6-yard gain
on fourth-and-5 at midfield, and Thigpen scored five plays later.

'They
were in some tight situations, especially late in the game,' Patriots
cornerback Kyle Arrington said. 'They just wanted it more.'

New
England, accustomed to slow starts, took a 10-0 lead on Michael
Hoomanawanui's one-handed, 13-yard touchdown reception. But on other
trips to the red zone, they missed tight end Rob Gronkowski, who
suffered a season-ending knee injury a week ago.

The
Patriots mounted drives of 16 and 15 plays but settled for a field goal
each time, and Gostkowski misfired on a field-goal try for only the
third time this year when he sailed a 48-yard attempt wide left.

'Today just wasn't my day,' Gostkowski said. 'It stinks to play terrible and your team loses. It's like salt on the wound.'